Dental equipment



Feb. 25, 1969 T. SHARP ET AL 3,429,516

DENTAL EQUIPMENT Filed March 2l. 1966 Sheet of 2 Feb. 25, 1969 T. 1SHARP ET A1.

DENTAL EQUIPMENT 2 @WWA w w u WV www @f s wg? L; mmm f.. wm. w S

l MII msm: m Y\ MW J+\\9m 1M\\ MN a. wm. www im@ -LM .n u R.. \\\N\ d"X/ m w mm,

United States Patent Otice 3,429,516 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 ClaimsABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A support for dental equipment of the typethat has a flexible hose connected at end with a dental drill or otherhand instrument and at the opposite end with a source of uid, such asair, water or vacuum source. The hose is suspended in a loop between apair of upright guides. A weighted pulley rides in the loop of the hoseand is supported by the upright guides. The pulley assembly appliestension to the hose to draw the instrument end of the hose into thecabinet where the support is mounted. The instrument end of the hosepasses through a tube at the top of the cabinet and the outer end of thetube supports the instrument in position for being grasped by thedentist. A catch mechanism on the pulley assembly latches the pulleyassembly temporarily at the top of the guides to relieve the tension inthe hose. The catch may be readily unlatched by pulling on theinstrument end of the hose. The weight of the pulley assembly then drawsthe instrument end ofthe hose into the cabinet.

This invention relates to dental equipment and more particularly toapparatus supporting flexible tubing that is connected to dentalinstruments.

It has become customary for a dentist to use a drill which is powered byan air turbine. The air is supplied to the drill through a hose orflexible tubing which is connected with a source of compressed air. Thedrill is held in the dentists hand While he is drilling a lpatientsteeth. Consequently, the hose that is attached to the drill isrelatively long in order to reach from the stationary air connection tothe patients mouth.

When the drill is not in use, it is customarily supported on a bracketadjacent to the patients chair. When it is supported on the bracket, theair hose merely hangs down from the drill in a loop. This arrangementnot only produces a cluttered appearance around the patients chair, butthe exposed length of hose may interfere with the use of the drillbecause the hose may 'become hooked on a portion of the patients chairor on their projections when the drill is being used by the dentist.

Other hand instruments that have attached hoses are used by a dentist.These instruments include a water injector, an air injector, and asalvia ejector. Each of these instruments requires a separate hose and`when all the hoses are merely suspended from a bracket, they present anunsightly appearance.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedmounting arrangement for dental instruments that have attached hoses.

It is a further object of this invention to provide apparatus forsupporting a plurality of dental instrument hoses in a manner thatpresents a neat and uncluttered appearance.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide apparatus forsupporting dental instruments and their attached hoses for convenientuse by the dentist.

These objects are accomplished in accordance -with a preferredembodiment of this invention by individually mounting the hoses for eachof the instruments in an enclosed"ca'binet. Each hose is looped over apulley which is movable vertically in the cabinet. One end of the hoseis fastened to a stationary connection `and the opposite end is fastenedto the instrument on the outside of the cabinet. The pulley is movablevertically between tracks by pulling the movable end of the hose throughan opening in the top of the cabinet. The hose pulley may be latchedtemporarily in its uppermost position, while the instrucent attached tothe end of the hose is being used by the dentist. The pulley assemblymay be unlatched readily by pulling on the movable end of the hose. Theonly force that is required to operate the latch is an axial force onthe movable end of the hose. Thus, the hose may be latched and unlatchedwith a minimum of effort.

This preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevational View, partially in cross section, of acabinet having hoses mounted therein in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational, partially sectional view of the cabinet;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional View of the cabinet showing thepulley assembly and guides;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional View of the cabinet along the line 4.4 inFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cabinet along theline `5--5 in FIGURE 3, showing the latch bracket;

FIGURE 5A is a cross-sectional view of the cabinet along the line 5A--5Ain FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cabinet along theline 6-6 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional View of the pulley guides alongthe line 7-7 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pulley guides alongthe line 8 8 in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the `pulley assembly andcabinet along the line 9-9 in FIG- URE 3.

A cabinet 2 in which the hoses are supported has a top `4 positioned ata convenient height and an adapter 6 projects outwardly trom the top 4for supporting Various dental instru-ments 8. The instruments 8 aremerely shown schematically and may include a drill which is op eratedyby compressed air, a water injector, and a saliva ejector ywhich is'vacuum operated. The cabinet 2 is positioned adjacent the patientschair and may include storage space, and it may enclose auxiliaryequipment.

Inside the cabinet 2, a exible hose 10 is attached at one end to astationary uid connection 11 (FIG. 4) and at the opposite end to theinstrument 8. The hose is suspended in the cabinet in a loop whichpasses between a pair of upright guides 12 and which supports a pulleyassembly 14. The pulley assembly 14 is mounted between the guides 12 andis movable vertically along the guides 12. As shown in FIGS. l and 3, aplurality of pulley assemblies 14 and guides 12 are mounted side-by-sidein the cabinet 2.

The guides 12, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 8 and 9, are secured at theirlower end to a bar 16 which is fastened to the bottom of the cabinet 2.The guides 12 are in the form of channels and have a slot formed in theend to receive the bar 16 between the opposite sides of each guide 12.Screws 18 extend through the sides of the guides 12 to anchor the guidesto the bar 16. A length of flexible tubing 20 extends across the top ofthe bar 16 between each pair of guides 12. The top of each guide 12 issecured to a bar 22 that is fastened to the top of the cabinet 2. Eachguide has a slot formed in the end to receive the bar 22 between theopposite sides of the guide. The guides are secured to the bar 22 byscrews 24.

The pulley assembly 14 includes a block 26 having a slot 28 formed inone end. A pulley 30 is mounted in the slot 28 for rotation relative tothe block 26. The block 26 slides freely along the guides 12, and it isretained between the opposite sides of the guides, as shown in FIG. 8.The block 26 is preferably made of a heavy metal in order to draw thehose 10 down into the cabinet when the instrument 8 is not being used.The guides 12 are also preferably formed of metal. In order to minimizethe friction between the block 26 and the guides 12, plastic tape may beapplied along the edges of the block where it engages the guides 12. Theuse of tape on the block also reduces the noise as the block movesrelative to the guide. Of course, other friction reducing materials maybe used instead of tape.

A hook 32 s secured at one end in the block 26 and extends upwardly fromthe block and terminates in an end portion positioned approximatelymidway between the guides 12. As shown in FIGS. 3, and 5A, a latchbracket 34 projects outwardly from the bar 22. The bracket 34 includesan upper guide member 36 and a lower guide member 38. rIhe hook 32normally travels along a straight path as the pulley assembly 14 movesalong the guides 12 and is moved toward the bracket 34 while in theposition shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 5 and 5A. However, when the hook32 engages the lower member 38, the end portion is deected toward theright, as viewed in FIG. 5A, until it passes over the end of the lowermember 38.

The inherent resilience in the hook 32 causes the end portion to springback toward its normal position after passing over the end of the lowermember 38. In doing so, the end portion engages the upper member 36.When the pulley assembly 14 moves downwardly, the end portion of thehook engages the inside edge of the lower member 38, and the hook islatched in the lower left-hand end of the lower member 38. When it is inthis position, the hook 32 supports the pulley assembly 14 at the top ofthe guides 12.

In order to release the hook 32 from the bracket 34, the pulley assemblyis initially displaced upwardly to cause the end portion of the hook 32to slide along the upper leg of the member 38. Consequently, the endportion is deected toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 5A. When the endportion passes over the upper end of the lower member 38, the hook 32 isreleased and it springs back to its normal position and the pulleyassembly 14 is free to move downwardly along the guides 12.

One end of the hose 10 is secured at the uid connection 11 on a rigidpipe tting 40, which is fastened by a bracket 42 to the top 4. On theopposite side of the guides 12 from the fluid connection 11 is an idlerpulley 44, which is suspended from the cabinet top 4 by a bracket 46. Atube 48 extends through the adapter 6 and through f the top 4, and issubstantially aligned with the pulley 44, as shown in FIG. 4. The lowerend of the tube 48 is tiared in order to reduce the frictional drag ofthe tube 48 on the iiexible hose 10. The end of the hose 10 is securedin the instrument 8 in accordance with conventional practice. Since thehose 10 passes over the pulley 30, it is apparent that when the end ofthe hose 10, which is attached to the instrument 8, is pulled out of thetube 48, the pulley assembly 14 will be lifted as the loop of hose thatis supported between the fluid connection 11, and the pulley 44 isprogressively shortened. Conversely, when the hose 10 is allowed to moveback into the tube 48, the pulley assembly 14 moves downwardly along theguides 12. The flexible tube which is positioned at the lower end of theguides 12 forms a cushion for the block 26.

In order to limit the upward travel of the pulley assembly 14, and tofacilitate operation of the latch 34, a spring 50 is mounted at the topof each of the guides 12. As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, the spring 50extends downwardly from the bar 22. A tube 52 is mounted in the spring50 and a cotter pin 54 extends through the spring 50 and through thetube 52, and through aligned holes in the sides of the guides 12. Bymeans of the cotter 4 pin 54, the positions of the tube 52 and thespring50 are xed relative to the guides 12.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the free end of the spring 50 extends beyondthe end of the tube 52. When the block 26 moves upwardly along theguides 12, the upper end of the block 26 engages first the spring 50.Further upward movement of the block 26 compresses the spring 50 untilthe block engages the end of the tube 52. Preferably, the tube is formedof a semi-rigid elastomeric material, in order to absorb the shock ofimpact of the block 26. The lower end of the tube 52 is locatedapproximately the same distance below the uppermost portion of the lowermember 38 than the end portion of the hook 32 is spaced from the upperend of the block 26. Thus, the block 26 engages the end of the tube 52as the end portion of the hook 32 passes over the right-hand end of thelower member 38 and again as it passes over the opposite end of themember 38. In this manner, the tube 52 protects the latch 34 and thehook 32 from the full force of the pulley assembly 14 as it is displacedupwardly by the hose 10.

In operation, the pulley assemblies 14 and the instruments 8 areinitially in the positions shown in FIGS, l and 2. When the dentistselects one of the instruments 8, he pulls the instrument away from theadapter 6, thereby imposing an axial force on the hose 10. As the hosemoves outwardly through the tube 48, the loop of hose which supports thepulley 30 is progressively shortened, thereby raising the block 26. Whena suicient length of hose has been drawn out of the tube 48, the pulleyassembly 14 is lifted to the top of the guides 12 and the upper end ofthe block 26 engages the springs 50 which are mounted in the guides 12and the end portion of the hook 32 moves into engagement with the lowermember 38 of the latch bracket 34. Continued upward movement of thepulley assembly 14 by pulling on the hose 10 causes the end portion ofthe hook 32 to pass over the upper end of the lower member 38 and toengage the upper member 36. At the same time, the block 26 engages theend of the tube 52 which limits the upward travel of the block. When thepulling force on the end of the exible hose 10 is released, the weightof the block 26 and the force of the springs 50 cause the pulleyassembly 14 to move downwardly, but the end portion of the hook 32 isengaged in the latch bracket 34 which prevents downward movement of thepulley assembly 14.

When it is desired to retract the hose into the cabinet 2, an axialpulling lforce is applied to the end of the hose 10 to lift the pulleyassembly 14 until the end portion of the hook 32 passes over the upperend of the lower members 38. The tube 52 restricts further upwardmovement of the pulley assembly 14 and when the free end of the hose 10is released, the weight of the block 26 and the spring 50 urge thepulley assembly |14 downwardly, thereby drawing the hose 10"back intothe tube 48 as the pulley assembly 14 is lowered along the guides 12.When the block 26 reaches the bottom of guides 12, its motion is stoppedby the cushion tube 20 and the instrument 8 is positioned at the outerend of the tube 48.

The apparatus of this invention conceals flexible hoses that areconventionally used with dental instruments while the instruments arenot being used, but does not hinder the dentist in the use of hisinstruments. The cabinet conceals the hose and presents an unclutteredappearance. Since the tube 48 is substantially aligned with the pulley44, there is a minimum of -frictional drag on the hose 10 as it is beingpulled out through the tube 48. There is also very little wear imposedon the hose 10 as it moves in and out through the tube 48. The pulleyassembly |14 is 'freely movable along the Iguides 12 and is readilylatched in its uppermost position and unlatched merely by pulling on theend of the hose 10. Furthermore, the torce applied to the hose tooperate the latch mechanism is an axial force, and thus the latch iseasily operated by the dentist from a location away from the cabinet 2.

While this invention has been illustrated and described in oneembodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be madetherein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for accumulating slack in a flexible hose, comprising apair of upright guides, a pulley, mounting means for the pulleyextending in the guides, said hose extending around the pulley in a loopand having ends on opposite sides of the pulley one of which ends isanchored and the other end movable axially, said pulley mounting meansbeing movable along the guides in response to axial movement of thehose, and means for limiting the movement of the pulley mounting meansat a predetermined position relative to the `guides whereby the positionof the pulley is controlled by the length of the loop of the hose, saidlimiting means comprising a helical spring and an elongated membermounted axially in one of the guides, said spring having a greaterlength than the elongated member.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 including means for temporarilylatching said mounting means against movement relative to said guides,said latching means having cooperating elements on said guides and onsaid pulley mounting means, said elements being positioned to latch saidmounting means and said guides together with said mounting means inengagement with said spring.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of said guides is inthe form of a channel having spaced opposite sides, said mounting meansincluding a blocking extending between said channels, said spring andelongated member being mounted in one of said guides in position forengaging said block.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 including a cushion tube extendingbetween said channels and having opposite ends thereof received betweensaid channel opposite sides.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 including latching meanscomprising a hook on said block and a latch bracket rigidly supportedbetween said guides, said elonvgated member being spaced below saidbracket and said hooks projecting upwardly from said block a distancegreater than the distance that the lower end of said elongated member isspaced below said bracket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,491,739 4/1924 Russell 32-221,815,953 7/1931 Moore 32-22 2,214,759 9/ 1940 Bosch 242-47.5 2,241,1265/ 1941,/ Godfrey 24247.5 2,351,943 6/ 1944 Ebbers et al. 32-222,466,996 4/ 1949 Monnot 24247.5 2,650,990 9/1953 Woodrul 32-22 X2,944,748 7/1960 Carnagua et al. 242-475 1,490,700 4/ 1924 Kingdon1`6-85 2,126,141 l8/1938 Saunders 16-85 X 2,694,601 11/19'54Higginbotham 242-475 X STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

